A Move to Remember
by Lunar Skky
Summary: The Cullen clan is retelling the story of when they relocated to England in 1939 only to land smack in the middle of World War 2 and witness firsthand the devastation caused by Hitler's regime. Carlisle/Esme POV. ConCrit welcomed. Canon pairings On Hiatus
1. The Move

This is a story plot that I adopted from KCcrazy.

I tried not to make it a drab history lesson so I'm kinda vague abt details. Plz forgive me if u desire more history or if u think that I've gone into too much detail at times. Plz R&R. Thank u!

Chapter 1- The Move

CARLISLE POV

"Bella dear, would you like to hear a story from our past?" I asked my son's girlfriend who had only just walked in the door. Her scent permeates the entire house but it doesn't affect any of us, well except Jasper maybe. Isabella Swan has changed our lives, which so rarely ever changes, since that first day that she walked into the same Biology class as Edward. Nothing but fond feelings come to my mind whenever her name is mentioned.

I love her like a daughter and it practically broke my ice cold heart when Edward told us we had to leave and have no further contact with her. He had decided that he was a danger to her, a revelation that came to him after the terrible incident on her eighteenth birthday. None of us agreed with his reasoning but we didn't want to deal with his wrath either, so we complied. It had been a torturous period for all of us, Edward kept to himself, Esme was overcome with grief, Rosalie was smug, Emmett was depressed and Jasper was wracked with guilt.

I remember the terror, remorse and guilt we all felt when we thought she had committed suicide. But more than that I remember the immense relief I felt when she had gone to his aid when he had so foolishly tried to get himself killed, not having the will to go on in a world without his love. It had been the longest three days of our eternal lives. Luckily for all of us that was the moment when he accepted that she was in his life to stay and nothing could ever change that. We came back for good.

"Please Carlisle, it's not about the perfect Edward so she won't care, will you Bells?"

"Emmett will you please. I don't understand why you must continuously tease the girl" Esme chided. But of course the reprimand came too late because Bella was already beet red and Edward was chuckling silently.

_Do you mind if I tell her this story Edward?_ I thought silently to my son. Though not biologically mine I thought of him as my first child. We've been together so long that life before he came into my life was barely notable.

He nodded subtly in response to my question granting me permission to delve into that little piece of our lives pre-Bella. His over-protectiveness of Bella meant that any decision pertaining to or affecting her, in the smallest way even, was to be passed by him for approval first.

"I would love to Carlisle" Bella responded, a hint of a blush still on her face.

I let my mind go back to that time so many years ago and the memories come back in pristine clarity.

*FLASHBACK*

I look all around me and all I see is death. Granted these human weapons can never hurt me but the level of carnage that remains is depressing. How can humans have so little regard for the lives of others? The sad part of this whole thing is that Adolf Hitler believes he is doing the right thing. I understand the general idea; make Germany the greatest superpower known to man, but his method of doing so is just deplorable. How can you possibly rationalize in your head that killing millions of people, women and children even, as the only way for German supremacy? As a backdrop to my dismal thoughts are the sounds of endless gunfire and canons. Sirens announcing an air raid would occasionally go off causing everyone to go on alert.

"Dr. Cullen? We have another one coming in. Shrapnel in the leg and GSW to the right shoulder."

Reality awaits; duty calls.

I immediately switch modes and become not Carlisle the compassionate, husband and father of three, but Dr. Carlisle Cullen, medic in the British Army. I've been a vampire for so long that I barely even notice the blood anymore but I steel myself against its warmth and the slight burn in my throat that it gave me anyway because as they say, prevention is better than cure. I really couldn't afford a slip, not now, not here, not ever.

They bring in the screaming soldier and my ears ring with his wails. His pain only cements my disgust at this whole ordeal and for the first time in decades I feel the urge to harm a human being. I'll never actually do it though, I respect life too much to ever let my desires take precedence.

"Alright men. Let's get to work" I tell my team. We quickly assess the damage and begin working on removing the shrapnel from his legs. It appears he was hit with the spill off of a canon. I know for a fact that he will never regain its use; the damage is too extensive but now is not the best time to enlighten him about that fact. Suicidal soldiers are not typically desired. We remove as much of the shrapnel as we can and clean and seal the wound. We then move on to his bullet wound. This one is much more treatable and we are able to take the bullet out.

"Sir, we've got two more coming in and I've heard reports that the enemy is advancing quickly."

"Thank you private. Dismissed." As he walks away I turn to my assorted emergency team. They look at me the fear and sadness obvious in their eyes.

"You heard the man, get ready, we have work to do." As if on cue the two injured soldiers are hauled in and we snap into action.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

_The story. I almost forgot, almost got lost in my thoughts. _

"What story are you going to tell Carlisle?" Jasper asked curiously. I know he was sensing the mixed emotions that I felt as the memories flood my mind.

As I was about to answer him I heard Alice's excited squeal from the other side of the room. She flitted quickly to her husband's side.

"He's going to tell a story from before we arrived. A war story, it's going to be good, I just know it." Alice was bouncing on the spot animatedly, not even trying to contain her emotions.

"Is it the World War Two story?" came Rose's melodic voice. I knew she too was thinking back to those many years ago when she was less than six years turned and still a little volatile. Her control had grown significantly since then. Emotionally however she had hardly developed at all. It seemed that Emmett and I were on the same trend of thought because the very next words out of his mouth were:

"So what if it is? You're not a major character in this story so why do you care Rosie?" Oh Emmett. With that snide remark he earned himself a loud smack to the back of his head. Everyone broke into laughter.

I've become accustomed to my family's enthusiasm but it was really hindering my ability to give Bella a look into our history.

"Well if we let him speak then we'll know." Thankfully Edward was able to realize that if my family was to continue in their current actions I would never be able to begin the story. Before anyone else could interrupt again I seized the reprieve and launched into my story.

"It was 1937 and we had been living in Forks, Washington for a little over a decade. Rosalie and Emmett had been turned for four and two years respectively. I was established at the hospital, much like now. Life was running smoothly, we kept to ourselves except when necessary, but it was beginning to become noticeable to the humans that 'those Cullens' weren't aging. I had been pretending to be thirty-five you see. Officially it was just Esme and I at home while Edward, Emmett and Rosalie were supposedly at college abroad. In reality however we were all at home, hunting occasionally and stimulating our minds for most of our time there.

The Quileute tribe was becoming restless by our continued settlement in the area and tension ran high. They picked up their patrols of the area and would occasionally get close to the boundary line claiming they had to be sure we wouldn't slip up and kill a human. They were being overly cautious. In fact when they made the treaty with us they had hoped that by now we would have moved on to new hunting grounds.

The kids were also becoming restless; they wanted to travel, to see more of the world."

"That's not fair Carlisle. You can't possibly blame 'the kids' when we all know it was Emmett who wanted to move" protested Rosalie.

"Like you didn't appreciate the idea? Come on Rosie you and I both know you wanted to go too!" Emmett, being Emmett, tried to lessen his responsibility.

"Whatever you say Em. Can we please allow Carlisle to continue the story?"

"Thank you Edward." I really was grateful for his intervention because I knew that once Emmett and Rosalie began arguing any other activity would take the back burner for days on end. We really didn't have the luxury of that amount of time right now or Bella will never be able to hear more than what I've already told her. I began again, praying to the powers that be that I won't be unnecessarily interrupted again. Edward gave me a knowing glance as if to say 'good luck with that notion'. I smiled at him briefly.

"In order to ease the worries of all involved we packed up and boarded a flight to Great Britain. I was feeling nostalgic you can say. We bought a lovely house in the countryside. It was much like this home in terms of its design. We made sure it had lots of glass to allow the sun in on those rare days when it shone and lots of rooms so that we wouldn't get in each other's way. You know how people can begin to become irritated with each other when living in close quarters, to avoid that we bought a big home.

Esme and Rose redecorated of course. They made it look much like this one, the same color palette with an understated sense of luxury."

"Some of our best work. We never had guests over of course, not with the kids being so new to our life, but its beauty was not wasted on us. It's too bad we don't have any photos of it so I can show you." An interruption from Esme was much more tolerated than from anyone else and I just watched and smiled as she spoke.

"This story may take a while love" I heard Edward whisper in Bella's ear. She just shrugged her shoulders and made herself more comfortable on the loveseat.

"Esme had space for a garden so she'll have something to do during the day while I was at work and the kids were attending their classes. It was a beautiful garden too darling. We had settled into a comfortable routine already.

Now before you ask, yes we had heard that trouble was brewing but we were naïve enough to think that it would be contained quickly and, if not, that it would not affect us. We are indestructible after all. How wrong we were. In less than two years since we arrived in England Winston Churchill and the rest of the allies declared war on Germany. At first it really didn't touch us. We were able to go on as though nothing was happening but then the war picked up steam and they needed troops.

Letters were sent to all eligible men of a certain age to join up. Luckily I was above the desired age. Edward had been enrolled at college luckily allowing him to skip military duty. Rosalie and Emmett were also enrolled at college as I had mentioned. But the momentum of the war kept up and all three had to join up. So did Esme and I. I'm sure you know the whole story behind the Second World War but let me just give a brief synopsis for the sake of this story." Just then I heard Bella's stomach growl and I knew I had to allow her to attend to her human needs.

"Go eat Bella, I am always here, and so are you. We can continue this story anytime."

She walked away grudgingly and sat while Edward fixed her something to eat. I returned to the papers I was reviewing before she came and waited patiently until she returned to hear the rest of my story.

I kno it's short but it's just the first chapter and I didn't want to make it too heavy. Let me kno what u think!

Thankies,

Lunarskky ;D


	2. The War Has Begun

**Thank you soooooo much for the reviews! It makes me extremely happy when I see that my stories have received reviews, even if it's just a 'gd story, keep it up'. I hope I don't disappoint. (sry for taking so long)**

**Quick shout out for my other story 'Slowly Forward' also a twilight fanfic. It's a ExB story, check it out.**

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Chapter 2- The War Has Begun

**CPOV**

Bella scarfed down her lunch just so she could hurry back to hear my story. It made me feel honored that she was so interested in what I had to share. It also showed how much she feels for those around her, almost as though she senses that I need to tell this story and so she becomes invested in its telling just to please me. It really warms my heart knowing how big of a heart she has; knowing that she has made room in it to include me.

"I'm finished Carlisle. You can continue now."

_Edward I hope I'm not imposing too much on your time with Bella. I know you two had plans for the day. Especially with the restrictions Charlie has put on her._

"No it's fine Carlisle; it can always be rescheduled for another time. Didn't Alice tell you? She's not grounded anymore, but there are terms and conditions to her freedom, not the least of which is spending time with Jacob Black" Edward responded, too low and quick for Bella's human hearing. I carefully noted the way his jaw clenched when he mentioned the name of the young werewolf.

_Thank you son. Don't worry about Jacob, that whole mess will sort itself out. Besides Bella has obviously chosen you over him so you have no need to feel insecure. Or whatever it is you're feeling at the moment. But if you ever need to talk, my door is always open to you._

"You're not there when she tries to convince me to let her go to _him_ or when she calls his _name_ in her sleep. It pains Carlisle and I just don't know if I could take it if one day she woke up and realized that he was the one she wanted all along."

_Son, I guarantee you that she will do no such thing, not unless you push her away, which you are liable to do if you do not let her see her friend. Just give a little Edward, believe me the reward would be greatly worth it. It won't be an easy sacrifice to make but if you truly love her, as I'm sure you do, you will do this for her._

He nodded subtly at me and I knew that he was at least contemplating what I had told him. I quickly got back to my story lest there be any distractions.

Bella was seated on the couch waiting not so patiently for me to start the story. I remember Edward telling me that she had picked up a few of Alice's traits but I didn't believe him until now, until I saw for myself that Bella was sitting and subtly bouncing in her seat. _Interesting._

"As I was saying Bella, the Second World War was started to stop Adolf Hitler's tirade.

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian painter born into poverty and unfortunate circumstances. His life was not easy, his parents died early on thrusting great responsibilities on his young shoulders, he was struggling to make a living, and he saw that, despite the economic rut that Germany was in, the Jews were prospering in every aspect that they tried. As a result Hitler began to resent them.

Germany was reeling from its financial obligations from World War One; they were to pay retribution for the outbreak of the First World War which was believed to be as a result of German aggression, and so everyone was suffering and the German ego was bruised.

He was a very charismatic man. So when Germany was in dire need of a new leader he saw the opportunity and seized it.

He gained the support of the people.

Unfortunately when he got into power his vendetta against the Jewish community became his main focus. He believed that by ridding Germany and her territories of all non-Aryans, blond haired blue eyed people, Germany will become a superpower.

He set up propaganda campaigns which made non-Jews believe that the Jewish people were evil, cunning and dangerous. He created special groups to police the streets and the Jewish people. He used his leverage to move onto the next phase of his plan. He set up restrictions for the Jews, starting from them having to wear a yellow Star of David on their clothes, which progressed until eventually he set up concentration camps where he did the most inhumane things, justifying it by saying he was doing tests or that they were work camps rather than areas where he can cause genocide. Millions of people died at his hands.

The worst part of that whole thing is that the world just stood by as this was happening. They took more of a it doesn't involve us so it's not our problem approach. It was not our place to become involved in human affairs as you well know, so you could imagine how hard it was for us to just take a back seat and watch so many lives ended carelessly.

Esme was beside herself with concern and yet there was nothing we could do. It was very nearly the hardest thing we ever had to stand by and watch." _The hardest was having to watch Edward die inside while he was away from you._

"Many would argue that the world got involved in the Holocaust because it had gotten to an unacceptable level but in reality that was only the ostensible reason. In reality Hitler began threatening the other world powers' interests, and that was intolerable to them. He invaded Poland after being told, in not so many words, that if he were to do so it would be taken as an act of war by the allies. It was September 1939; tension was still high in Europe and around the world, only having lessened a little since World War One.

The declaration came with the announcement throughout England that soldiers were needed and it was our duty as citizens to fight on behalf of mankind and the greater good.

It ran as any war would, death tolls high, advancing and retreating troops but all in all everything seemed under control.

Unfortunately it didn't stay that way. The war escalated in its intensity and eventually Edward, Emmett and Rosalie were called out for active duty.

Esme went into a state of near depression and I was helpless to do anything to get her out of it.

They wrote us as often as they could telling us of the gruesome conditions that they had to endure and all the killing that they had to witness.

However soon our turn came; I still shudder every time I remember the letter that was sent to us informing us of our forced conscription."

**EPOV**

Sitting and listening to my husband retell the stories of one of the darkest periods of human history was uncomfortable to say the least, but only because I remember how closely involved we had been in that very event.

My children, adopted though they were, being made to take part had torn me to pieces. It was a tense topic for me.

I still vividly remember the day those men in uniform came to the door and informed them that their services were required in the War. I stood immobile for an hour; no one was able to break through my carefully set barrier. I was not ready to deal with what that would mean for my family. It eventually took all of Carlisle's persuasive powers, Emmett's special brand of humor and Edward's goodwill to get me to be some semblance of my normal self. It was a hard time for me.

As if sensing my mood Jasper sent a wave of tranquility and happiness my way.

I quickly told him thank you, not really realizing how much I needed that relief until then.

I looked at Bella's face and saw how deeply engrossed she had become in the story.

That girl is so good for my family. She has made Emmett even more of a kid, finally having someone whom he can tease that would actually react, though I can't honestly be sure if that is a good thing or not.

Alice has gotten a best friend. She and Rose are close, but the bond Alice shares with Bella is beyond any other friendship she has shared.

Jasper, though still a little uneasy around her blood, is happy to have her. He once told me that her emotions were so pure and strong that if not for the uncomfortable burn he would spend more time with her; Edward's more sociable countenance isn't so bad either he joked.

Rosalie will be Rosalie, but since the incident she has opened up a little more to Bella. No longer being the hostile force in the outskirts of our gatherings when Bella was over.

Carlisle and I were able to add to our family. We never thought we would have that opportunity, but then came Bella, and she became a part of it without any of us even realizing it, well except maybe for Alice.

The biggest change I must say has come from Edward. My son, my immovable, unchanging and unbelievably stubborn son. I love him dearly and it broke my heart at the end of each day when I realized that he was still alone. All of us had someone to love, someone to love us, all except Edward. Until Bella.

Their romance has never been easy but I watched as each day Bella chipped away at another piece of his carefully constructed walls. He would come home after spending time with her and have a permanent smile on his face. He began composing again, and for someone other than me. He was less sour when he looked up and noticed that everyone was coupled off. He was happy for more than just a brief moment at a time.

I physically had to restrain myself from crushing Bella to me every time I saw her and force myself to let go if I did; I was so happy that she was in our lives.

Edward looked up at me and smiled that beautiful smile of his. He left Bella's side for the briefest of moments and hugged me and I all but cried, and not just because I couldn't.

Bella, being as observant as she is, noticed the movement and stopped Carlisle mid-sentence.

"Are you alright Esme? I don't have to hear the rest of the story if it's too much for you to relive."

"Oh Bella. That's not it. I'm just thinking about how blessed our lives have been, especially as of late."

"Oh."

"Thank you for being a part of our lives."

"Esme…I…thank you for having me." _There it is, that telltale blush of hers, it seems I have embarrassed her._

"it's our pleasure."

"I'm sorry Carlisle, I interrupted your story. Please continue" she told my husband, as if he would hold it against her.

"Don't worry about it Bella. In fact I was about to stop anyway. I just noticed the time and I have to leave for work in a few minutes. Edward can pick up where I left of if you'd like?"

"No! I mean, I want you to tell it. Nothing against you Edward, but I just like the way Carlisle tells it."

"No problem love" Edward responded and kissed her hair. They get up and go off on their own business, probably to do whatever it is they had planned to do in the first place.

~x~x~x~x~x~

"Esme love, have you seen my blue striped tie? I could have sworn I left it right here. Hmmm."

"It's right here, darling." I hand him the tie that he had left in the laundry. "What would you do without me?"

"I wouldn't dare to try living without you my love, so I wouldn't know. Do you think the story is too much? Should I have kept that part of our history to ourselves? I know Edward says it's fine but he doesn't know what goes on in Bella's mind."

"Sweetheart, she's family now, and as such it's only right that she knows our history. Besides Bella said she was enjoying the story."

"Yes but I also know her well enough to know that she has a tendency to try not to hurt another's feelings. What if that's what she's doing now? Just telling me to continue just so that I won't be hurt by her disinterest?"

"She seemed genuine to me, but if it would make you feel any better you could ask Jasper what her emotions were while you were telling her the story."

"That's a wonderful idea, darling. Thank you."

I have never seen Carlisle so unsure of himself. He's usually the one who comes up with the brilliant ideas in our family, always the one convincing us of our worth but now he was the one who needed reassuring? I guess he really respected Bella's opinion.

Hearing his name Jasper knocked on our bedroom door.

"Come in son" I heard Carlisle say. I was still too preoccupied with trying to understand Carlisle's sudden bout of insecurity to respond to his address.

Jasper entered the room and looked to Carlisle expectantly. It was obvious he wasn't aware of why his name was brought up.

"Carlisle wants you to clear something up for him if you would Jasper."

"No problem Esme. What exactly is it that I can clear up for you Carlisle?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you got any specific emotions from Bella today, while I was telling our story?" he seemed nervous as he asked this.

"Oh, well she was very excited but there was also a hint of anger. Probably due to Hitler's actions."

"Really?"

"Yes, why? Is something wrong Carlisle?"

"Everything's fine Jasper, thank you. Well I'm off to the hospital. Thank you darling that really helped."

"Anytime sweetheart. Now go save some lives and hurry home."

He flitted down the stairs and into the garage. I watched from the window as his car pulled out of our driveway. I felt my heart tug at his temporary loss and decided I needed to do something to distract myself.

I walked down the stairs at a human pace, something I haven't done in a while still lost in my thoughts.

I saw my family all gathered in the living room in front of the large flat screen television.

"What are you all watching? Do you mind if I join you?"

"Sure. We're just watching some family videos that Alice dug up from storage" answered Edward. He had just gotten back from dropping Bella off at home. He would be heading back to her house in a few hours but, in the mean time, he was enjoying some much needed family time.

"Oh how lovely. I haven't seen those in years. What made you decide to bring them out?"

"Carlisle's story. It just made me feel nostalgic, and then I remembered these so I went and got them out."

"Which one are you looking at?" As soon as the words left my mouth I heard Emmett's booming voice singing Christmas carols from the speakers.

I got comfortable and was entranced by our family memories. The time flew by quickly and before I knew it I heard the familiar purr of Carlisle's engine.

My heart had returned to me. I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding and ran out to meet him.

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